George Russell admitted that 2026 marked the first year of his racing career where bad days outnumbered the good, especially after an early title challenge slipped away. Teammate Kimi Antonelli dominated the garage battle, tallying nine victories compared to Russell's three to become Formula One's youngest champion. Russell's frustrations culminated at the Mexico City Grand Prix, where an unexpected mechanical slowdown dropped him from the front row to a sixth-place finish. Following that setback, team boss Toto Wolff excused a distraught Russell from post-race media appearances and publicly acknowledged that Mercedes had failed him.
Key points
Toto Wolff publicly admitted that Mercedes let Russell down in Mexico and excused the dis…: Toto Wolff publicly admitted that Mercedes let Russell down in Mexico and excused the distraught driver from mandatory post-race media duties.
Russell described the 2026 campaign as an unravelling season plagued by bad luck, on-trac…: Russell described the 2026 campaign as an unravelling season plagued by bad luck, on-track confusion, and poor overall performances.
The British driver pledged to fight through the final races of the calendar to regain his…: The British driver pledged to fight through the final races of the calendar to regain his lost competitive form for the future.
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Russell says it was just not his year, congratulates Antonelli
Nov 2 : George Russell spoke "from the heart" on Monday, saying 2026 was just not his year and congratulating Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli on becoming Formula One's youngest champion.
The Briton was excused media duties after Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix, with team boss Toto Wolff saying the driver was "distraught" at how his afternoon had unfolded.
Russell made a good start on the front row before the car suddenly slowed, costing him several places. He finished sixth with Wolff saying the team had let him down.
"This season started off exactly how I had hoped but it very quickly unravelled with tough luck and poor performances," he said on Instagram.
"It's been the first proper season of my career where I've had more bad days than good. Has it been tough to deal with? Yes, very. Has it been tough to myself up week in, week out? Yes, very.
"Confusion at times? Often. All I know is that I've given it my all and 2026 was not meant…
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